Deuteronomy 7

The Message

7 ^1-2When God, your God, brings you into the country that you are about to enter and take over, he will clear out the superpowers that were there before you: the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Those seven nations are all bigger and stronger than you are. God, your God, will turn them over to you and you will conquer them. You must completely destroy them, offering them up as a holy destruction to God.

Don’t make a treaty with them.

Don’t let them off in any way.

^3-4Don’t marry them: Don’t give your daughters to their sons and don’t take their daughters for your sons—before you know it they’d involve you in worshiping their gods, and God would explode in anger, putting a quick end to you.

⁵Here’s what you are to do:

    Tear apart their altars stone by stone,
    smash their phallic pillars,
    chop down their sex-and-religion Asherah groves,
    set fire to their carved god-images.

⁶Do this because you are a people set apart as holy to God, your God. God, your God, chose you out of all the people on Earth for himself as a cherished, personal treasure.

^7-10God wasn’t attracted to you and didn’t choose you because you were big and important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer love, keeping the promise he made to your ancestors. God stepped in and mightily bought you back out of that world of slavery, freed you from the iron grip of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments for a thousand generations. But he also pays back those who hate him, pays them the wages of death; he isn’t slow to pay them off—those who hate him, he pays right on time.

¹¹So keep the command and the rules and regulations that I command you today. Do them.

^12-13And this is what will happen: When you, on your part, will obey these directives, keeping and following them, God, on his part, will keep the covenant of loyal love that he made with your ancestors:

    He will love you,
    he will bless you,
    he will increase you.

^13-15He will bless the babies from your womb and the harvest of grain, new wine, and oil from your fields; he’ll bless the calves from your herds and lambs from your flocks in the country he promised your ancestors that he’d give you. You’ll be blessed beyond all other peoples: no sterility or barrenness in you or your animals. God will get rid of all sickness. And all the evil afflictions you experienced in Egypt he’ll put not on you but on those who hate you.

¹⁶You’ll make mincemeat of all the peoples that God, your God, hands over to you. Don’t feel sorry for them. And don’t worship their gods—they’ll trap you for sure.

^17-19You’re going to think to yourselves, “Oh! We’re outnumbered ten to one by these nations! We’ll never even make a dent in them!” But I’m telling you, Don’t be afraid. Remember, yes, remember in detail what God, your God, did to Pharaoh and all Egypt. Remember the great contests to which you were eyewitnesses: the miracle-signs, the wonders, God’s mighty hand as he stretched out his arm and took you out of there. God, your God, is going to do the same thing to these people you’re now so afraid of.

²⁰And to top it off, the Hornet. God will unleash the Hornet on them until every survivor-in-hiding is dead.

^21-24So don’t be intimidated by them. God, your God, is among you—majestic God, awesome God. God, your God, will get rid of these nations, bit by bit. You won’t be permitted to wipe them out all at once lest the wild animals take over and overwhelm you. But God, your God, will move them out of your way—he’ll throw them into a huge panic until there’s nothing left of them. He’ll turn their kings over to you and you’ll remove all trace of them under Heaven. Not one person will be able to stand up to you; you’ll put an end to them all.

^25-26Make sure you set fire to their carved gods. Don’t get greedy for the veneer of silver and gold on them and take it for yourselves—you’ll get trapped by it for sure. God hates it; it’s an abomination to God, your God. And don’t dare bring one of these abominations home or you’ll end up just like it, burned up as a holy destruction. No: It is forbidden! Hate it. Abominate it. Destroy it and preserve God’s holiness.

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Deuteronomy 7

New International Version

Driving Out the Nations

7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess^(A) and drives out before you many nations^(B)—the Hittites,^(C) Girgashites,^(D) Amorites,^(E) Canaanites, Perizzites,^(F) Hivites^(G) and Jebusites,^(H) seven nations larger and stronger than you— ²and when the Lord your God has delivered^(I) them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy^(J) them totally.^[a]^(K) Make no treaty^(L) with them, and show them no mercy.^(M) ³Do not intermarry with them.^(N) Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, ⁴for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,^(O) and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy^(P) you. ⁵This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles^[b]^(Q) and burn their idols in the fire.^(R) ⁶For you are a people holy^(S) to the Lord your God.^(T) The Lord your God has chosen^(U) you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.^(V)

⁷The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous^(W) than other peoples, for you were the fewest^(X) of all peoples.^(Y) ⁸But it was because the Lord loved^(Z) you and kept the oath he swore^(AA) to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand^(AB) and redeemed^(AC) you from the land of slavery,^(AD) from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;^(AE) he is the faithful God,^(AF) keeping his covenant of love^(AG) to a thousand generations^(AH) of those who love him and keep his commandments.^(AI) ¹⁰But

those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.^(AJ)

¹¹Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

¹²If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.^(AK) ¹³He will love you and bless you^(AL) and increase your numbers.^(AM) He will bless the fruit of your womb,^(AN) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine^(AO) and olive oil^(AP)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^(AQ) ¹⁴You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.^(AR) ¹⁵The Lord will keep you free from every disease.^(AS) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,^(AT) but he will inflict them on all who hate you.^(AU) ¹⁶You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.^(AV) Do not look on them with pity^(AW) and do not serve their gods,^(AX) for that will be a snare^(AY) to you.

¹⁷You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?^(AZ)” ¹⁸But do not be afraid^(BA) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.^(BB) ¹⁹You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand^(BC) and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.^(BD) ²⁰Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet^(BE) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. ²¹Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you,^(BF) is a great and awesome God.^(BG) ²²The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.^(BH) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. ²³But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.^(BI) ²⁴He will give their kings^(BJ) into your hand,^(BK) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;^(BL) you will destroy them.^(BM) ²⁵The images of their gods you are to burn^(BN) in the fire. Do not covet^(BO) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared^(BP) by it, for it is detestable^(BQ) to the Lord your God. ²⁶Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.^(BR) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 7:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
Deuteronomy 7:5 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy

The Message (MSG)

New International Version (NIV)

Deuteronomy 7

The Message

Deuteronomy 7

New International Version

Driving Out the Nations

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Deuteronomy 7 The Message

Deuteronomy 7 New International Version

Driving Out the Nations

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Deuteronomy 7

The Message

Deuteronomy 7

New International Version